Q: Can you talk about the musical history of Tetsuians?A:Andrew - It all started for me when Trent posted an advertisement on a Melbourne music forum looking for a drummer for a three piece indie/comical group with a very Ween-esque vibe. I fell in love with the songs - they were unlike anything I've ever played before previous bands. I’ve stuck around ever since.Amber - Trent has been a driving force for the band since its inception. Like a lot of bands, it's gone through a few name and member changes, but it's been in the current configuration for close to 10 years. The name has evolved over that time. "Tetsuians" is a nod to Japanese pop culture, but it’s also a bit other worldly.Trent - I started in the mid-‘00s as a duo with a drum-machine, so whilst that saved on overhead it did come with compromises. It’s taken a while to get to this point, but I think we’re incredibly symbiotic as a group now despite not being able to play together every week.Q: The band formed in 2015 and four years later you dropped your debut album. How has the band evolved or changed since its inception?A: Trent - Well, we’re in separate parts of Australia now which ironically has given us more focus. When we started and were just playing live there probably wasn’t a lot of consideration on our sound as opposed to just playing the songs. Knowing we had to string an album together pulled that area into focus pretty quickly.Amber - The emphasis has definitely turned to writing, and evolving the band's sound. We all have such different core tastes in music that distance has allowed for much more individuality and mindfulness in what each instrument is bringing to the songs.Andrew - I feel we got to the point where we really wanted to focus on stripping back the elements and really focusing on our individual parts. Sonically, some of the songs that are on the album have evolved massively from where they were in our live shows. We’ve definitely grown as a group and have learned to listen to what each band member is bringing to the table.Q: There’s seems to be a heavy nod to ’90s indie rock on your album. Can you talk about some of the influences musically and otherwise that you think went into the album?A: Trent - Sonically, there’s definitely some salutes to Superchunk and Pavement on songs like “Chump Change” and “Twilight Zone,” but there’s also little nods to bands like Supergrass, The Cramps and 13th Floor Elevators.Amber - For me, I draw some inspiration from some Aussie rock bands from the ‘90s like Something for Kate and The Superjesus. I was a guitarist before I turned my eye to bass, but Jeff Buckley was also a massive influence. These days I've grown a massive appreciation for scores with Hans Zimmer being my biggest muse.Andrew - My influences lean more towards ‘70s prog rock and ‘80s synth, new wave. The high hat intro to “Strip Club” is influence taken from Neil Peart’s drumming on Rush's song “Red Sector A,” but I really focus on making my drum parts more of a melody than a rhythm section. I’ve always been a fan of David Lovering from Pixies, but I also draw a lot of inspiration from Carl Palmer from ELP as well as bands like Roxy Music and Ultravox.

Q: What are some of the themes and topics you explore on this album?

A: Trent - There’s a little social and political commentary. Perspex Abattoir is basically how we process news, entertainment and personal information through smartphones or tablets. Not a new concept, but I think being unable to separate those concepts can dull your senses.

We like to leave the lyrics a bit obtuse and open to interpretation – which can either backfire or give the listener a springboard for their own imagination. That said, a song like “Strip Club” is pretty straightforward and originated from a passing comment I heard someone make about Sonic Youth not being the type of music you’d hear in seedy venues - although someone might challenge that concept now!

Q: What is the creative process like for the band?

A: Trent - Working full-time jobs means that we have to schedule our time carefully. We started by sending rough audio sketches to each other online to come up with our parts. After a few months we blocked out a few days where Andrew and I would travel to the Sunshine Coast to record Amber’s bass parts and she’d then come to Melbourne to finish vocals.

Amber - The interstate distance definitely has its challenges in terms of not allowing for totally instant collaboration and exchange of ideas but it does allow each of us to create our own sound and vision before bringing all the ideas together. In that way we sometimes end up with surprising results.

Andrew - I love the idea of the whole less is more when it comes to the recording. We always keep this in mind as I personally feel that if our songs were over-produced they would lose their natural element.

Q: What else do we need to know about Tetsuians?

A: Trent - we’ll be live-streaming our album launch on the 27th of July, which people will be able to tune into via our Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/Tetsuians/. We’ve set some pretty steep goals but it’s given us a lot of focus.Amber - Whilst we mightn’t be able to gig as much as normal bands, we're hoping our music will be different and alluring enough to keep our fans on board. We'd love for music to become a more dominant focus in our lives, but until then we'll continue writing and recording. Look to see some new music later this year and a second album in early 2020.